It's about to be that time of year again. Every player who makes or will make a ton of money will be linked to the New York Mets some way because of who their owner is. Steve Cohen has proven he'll stop at nothing to try and win, and has Mets fans dreaming of potential stars they can acquire for the 2024 season.
Juan Soto is the latest example of a star who every insider seems to be linking to the Mets. The Padres are looking to slash payroll meaning the chances of them keeping Soto in town past the 2024 season are slim to none. Soto will presumably be on the market this offseason with that in mind, and the Mets should absolutely be calling.
The Mets have the prospect capital to get a Soto deal done after their huge trade deadline, and are one of few teams that can reach Soto's high demands financially. While the Mets will certainly check in on Soto if he's made available this offseason, there're several other 'scary possibilities' the Mets can pursue in a trade that other teams should fear.
1) NY Mets 'scary possibility' trade candidate teams should fear: Corbin Burnes
It makes too much sense. David Stearns, the man who drafted Corbin Burnes and saw his ascension from a reliever to Cy Young Award winner, is now running the show in Flushing. The Brewers insulted Burnes during his arbitration process last offseason, fracturing their relationship potentially beyond repair. While he's there now, what are the chances he stays in Milwaukee long-term?
Rather than wait for the Mets to throw a crazy free agency offer at Burnes in the 2024 offseason, Milwaukee can trade their ace for a haul as he enters his final year of team control. The Mets have a need for pitching, and the Brewers can't afford to lose him for nothing.
Adding Burnes can be seen as even scarier than Juan Soto. While the lineup underperformed in 2023, there's every reason to believe the Mets will score more runs in 2024. On the pitching side of things, however, things look a lot bleaker. The Mets have Kodai Senga, Jose Quintana, and... not much.
If the Mets are somehow able to acquire one of the best pitchers in all of baseball to lead their staff we're suddenly looking at a rotation that has the potential of being one of the league's best in 2024 after a lot of struggles in 2023.